Roman Map and Ring Termnology

This section is to help give an idea where the Roman Rings are coming from, and helpful terms to help understand the designs. I also added a brief summary of how I determine the size of a Roman ring.

Where do the Roman Rings come from?

Basically, I hear this question a lot, so I decided to put up the map that shows the provences and ancient cities where these rings are being dug up. A lot of the rings are being found by Eastern European farmers going through their fields with metal detectors. Antique dealers are flying there and buying from the farmers, or other antique dealers in Eastern Europe.

The below map is the current country of Bulgaria as it was divided into Roman Provences and cities almost 1700 years ago. Most of the rings I purchase from my Antique Dealer suppliers get their rings from the ancient city of Philipopolis which is now near present day Plovidiv in Eastern Europe. This area at one time was the ancient Roman provence of Thracia.

Map above taken from "Roman Jewellrey", pg. 20-21,Cromwell Editions.

Helpful Ring Terms

Art historians publish books to help other Art Historians to identify by style new art when it appears or is discovered. A lot of my information comes from books like these, either that I purchased or checked out from the library. The problem is they are full with terms that are hard for people not in the field to understand. I'm starting to figure out a lot of them now, and the chart below REALLY helped. Thought I would pass along the knowledge. Plus, often, I describe the designs of my rings using the below terms. IF you've read an ad & still need a little help in specifics, the diagram below might help you form the question you need answered.

Diagram above taken from "Roman Jewellrey", pg. 98,Cromwell Editions.

Information on the Sizing of My Roman Rings

I use a standard ring sizer for identifying the size of each ring. I use the closest standard size when posting the size of each ring. Women's ring sizes average about size 3-8 depending on your finger sizes. Men's sizes range from 6-12. I'm a women of 5' 4" height, and wear about size 4 on my pinkie, size 5.5-6 on my ring finger, and 7-7.5 on my middle finger. The Romans wore rings on all fingers, including their thumbs. Thus, I tend to get rings in many different sizes from 1.5 all the way up to 11. Any questions on sizing or on my rings, please email me below. ;-)

LONG LIVE ROME!!